Comfort Me
by G'lek
Summary: Cynder's been plagued by nightmares in the weeks following the defeat of Malefor. Can Spyro help her, or will she shut him out? Post-Dawn of the Dragon - Oneshot - K-plus for one rude word


**A/N:** Getting back into writing with a short Spyro story, seeing as I just finished Dawn of the Dragon. Enjoy, and as always, review if you've got something to say. Inspired by Guide You Home, played in the credits of DotD.

**Comfort Me**

By:

Glek

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! IT'S NOT MY FAULT! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!"

"Easy Cynder." Spyro hushed into the darkness of their room in the Dragon Temple.

"I... I didn't mean..." Cynder mumbled, trailing off as she realized it had just been a dream.

"It's the nightmare again, isn't it?" Spyro asked, knowing the answer. For nearly two weeks since Malefor fell, every night, Cynder had been having a nightmare. The first time, she had woken the entire temple with her panicked cries. So far, she had refused to share the nightmare with anyone. After a week, the Guardians were sleeping right through the noise. Even Sparx, who was in the same room and normally a light sleeper, wasn't being woken anymore.

"It's nothing." Cynder muttered.

"Cynder, you can't keep doing this." Spyro said. "You're grouchy all the time because you're not sleeping enough. Volteer was commenting yesterday that he considers it a miracle when you actually get up before noon. Please Cynder, I want to help, but I can't do anything if you won't tell me what's wrong."

"It's just a dream." Cynder snapped. "I can handle it."

"Fine." Spyro shot back, finally having had enough. "I'm going to another room. I need my sleep too."

Cynder watched as Spyro left, listening to his paw steps until they had vanished. Looking around, she realized Sparx had also left. Nestling herself down into her bed, Cynder tried to resume her sleep. However, try as she might, she couldn't sleep. Something wasn't right. Cynder thought hard about what was missing until it hit her. Spyro was gone. His presence had become a constant in her life, something she didn't even notice anymore.

_Why did I snap at him like that? Now look at what I've done. Look at what I've done..._

Cynder lay her head down and closed her eyes. Her head felt clogged. Suddenly, a single drop of liquid ran down her face. Like the floodgates had been opened, the tears began to flow. Cynder lay in the dark without Spyro's warm body next to her and Sparx's comforting glow nearby, and wept silently. The tears, once they had started, didn't want to stop. She sobbed without any noise, curling up on herself as much as she could manage until she was nothing more then a tiny black ball, alone the darkness.

/-\

"About time Spyro." Sparx commented as the pair moved through the temple.

"I'm just giving her time to cool off, Sparx." Spyro said as they walked onto a balcony. "I'd never actually leave her, not when something's bothering her."

"And here I thought you were finally going to show some sense." Sparx joked.

Several minutes passed until Spyro felt he'd had enough night air. Silently, the pair made their way back towards their room. Spyro heard something in the stillness.

"Sparx, quiet." Spyro hissed.

Listening closely, Spyro could just make out the sound of... Someone crying?

"Sparx, stay here."

"No problem."

Spyro silently walked into the room and, with his night-adapted eyes, spotted a small black ball in Cynder and his bed.

/-\

Cynder continued weeping until a familiar snout touched her back.

"Cynder?" Spyro said, sounding uncertain.

Sniffing, Cynder replied, "Spyro? I... I thought you were going to another room?"

"And leave you here when something's wrong?" Spyro said, taken aback. "Not a chance."

"Th..Thanks."

"You want to share that dream?"

"It... It always starts the same. I'm in the form I was when Malefor corrupted me. I'm in the first village I attacked on his orders. There's chaos everywhere. A small hatchling running from an Ape bumps into my leg. The Ape asks me what to do with the hatchling. I... I say I'll deal with it."

Cynder took a breath to steady herself.

"Then, suddenly, I'm a hatchling myself. The other hatchling is still there, but so is every other living creature I ever hurt, even you, Sparx, Hunter, Ignitus..."

Cynder took another breath, steeling herself for the next part.

"You all start accusing me, calling me Malefor's puppet, his slave, his... his whore. Demanding to know why I destroyed their lives, why I hurt them. And all the time I'm shouting back that I didn't mean to hurt them, Malefor was controlling me, I had no choice, it wasn't my fault."

Cynder's voice started to become panicked. "But they don't listen, they keep moving closer, demanding that I suffer as they did. They pull out weapons, and even Malefor himself is there, laughing and calling me a fool and urging to crowd to take out all of their hatred for him on me."

"Whoa, slow down there." Spyro stopped Cynder before she broke down again. "You know that no one blames you for what happened to you."

"I know..."

"And you know that all of us would die for you, Sparx included."

"He would?"

"He'd never say it, but I know he would. You know he just likes to complain."

"Heh, he does." Cynder chuckled, recalling their attack on the Destroyer.

"Cynder, I would face Malefor alone for you. I'd face the Destroyer, all the golems he could summon, his entire army, and I'd do it for you, if it meant you would be safe and happy. And I can promise you, so would anyone else we know."

"Spyro..."

"That's more then enough. Come in Sparx."

"Hey Cynder." Sparx chirped as he entered.

"Is what Spyro said true Sparx?" Cynder asked desperately.

"Every word." Sparx assured her.

"Even the part about you facing Malefor for me?"

"I'd be scared out of my mind, but yeah, I'd do it. You make Spyro happy, and anything that makes Spyro happy is worth fighting for."

"Thanks Sparx." Cynder said.

"Any time."

The three settled back into sleep. Cynder once again found herself in the dream. Only, she wasn't a helpless hatchling or her old corrupted form, but her normal self. Standing at her feet was the hatchling, looking up at her, accusing her with it's look, but not saying anything. All those Cynder had hurt were there, doing the same, staring.

_I'm... I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone, never meant to cause so much destruction. Can you forgive me?_

_We forgave you a long time ago Cynder._ The hatchling said. _In fact, we never blamed you to start with._

_But, the nightmares?_

_Your own mind creating guilt, a guilt which twisted our message. Sleep well knowing that we have forgiven you for things we never even blamed you for to start with._

The hatchling evaporated, along with the rest of the crowd. Cynder smiled in her sleep, before rolling over and cuddling closer to Spyro.


End file.
